The CW's 'Nancy Drew' pilot review: The lead needs to solve a crime and prove her innocence at once
Possible spoilers for Season 1 premiere of 'Nancy Drew' on The CW
In The CW's 'Nancy Drew', there is murder, mystery, ghosts and teenagers with an affinity for the dangerous.
Oh wait, that is pretty much every show that comes from the network. In saying so, The CW has made a product that is not unlike its former offerings such a 'Riverdale' and 'Veronica Mars' with barely any characteristic to set it apart.
Newcomer Kennedy McMann plays the titular role of the brilliant teen detective and a favourite among readers of the mystery genre across generations. Growing up in the quaint town of Horseshoe Bay, Maine, Nancy Drew has always loved solving crimes - it is a part of her identity.
But the sudden death of her mother puts her life on hold - she doesn't go back to solving crimes. Instead, she counts the days until she can apply to college once again. But even though Nancy is trying to escape mysteries, mysteries refuse to leave her, for one night, she suddenly finds herself entangled in a strange mystery. What was supposed to be a regular day of waitressing at the Claw for Nancy turns upside down by night when a socialite is killed right at their doorstep.
This makes Nancy, along with her group of friends (who are co-workers at the moment, but if we are going by how The CW treats its groups, they're going to no longer be just co-workers), prime suspects of the murder. The group is formed by George Fan (Leah Lewis), Nancy’s nemesis from high school; Bess Marvin (Maddison Jaizani), a rich girl with a mysterious past; Nancy’s secret boyfriend, Ned “Nick” Nickerson (Tunji Kasim); and amiable burnout Ace (Alex Saxon).
This murder mystery is ailed by the town's oldest mystery - the ghost of Dead Lucy that is supposedly haunting Nancy's murder investigations. Why? The two murders share an eerie connection. The premise of the show is based around Nancy and her Crew trying to prove their innocence.
There is a lot that doesn't work in favour of the show. For starters, fans never wanted to watch a charged up, sexed-up, contemporary version of Nancy Drew. The CW has a penchant for taking comic book favourites and making disappointing versions of them. Similarly, on 'Nancy Drew', the detective shares a tense relationship with her father Carson Drew (Scott Wolf). Following the death of her mother, their relationship is far from the possibility of repair - or so the pilot paints.
Coming from executive producers Noga Landau, Melinda Hsu Taylor, Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, and Lis Rowinski, 'Nancy Drew' has a decent mystery in its underbelly that takes the series forward. But, with a slew of detective and murder mystery shows already on TV, it is easy to skip.
'Nancy Drew' airs Wednesdays at 9 PM ET on The CW.